A Brother's Love
by jamrulz
Summary: God decided to give Itachi a second chance and lets him go back...as Naruto and Hinata's son. Now Minato struggles to become a ninja as well as deal with his two identities. It doesn't help when his sensei is Sasuke Uchiha, his incarnations' younger brother.
1. Chapter 1

_Don't own the characters. Kishimoto does. I only owe the kids and oc's._

"Push! Come on Hinata, push!" A woman's yell answered the demands, her yell of pain echoing throughout the hospital.

The Hokage pressed a shaking fist to his mouth, the woman's screams causing him to wince. His Ambu captain stood beside him as the Hokage paced, watching him silently. The captain decided that the Hokage needed a friend and took off his mask.

"Come on dobe. Sakura-chan knows what she's doing. Try to relax." The blond man glared at his best friend as the nickname was mentioned, but the glare weakened at another yell.

"I know she does Sasuke, but excuse me for worrying about my wife." _Especially when it's well known that a lot of women had died in childbirth… _He jumped as the yells abruptly stopped. His eyes filled with tears. _No…_ A woman with pink, mid-back length hair walked through the door, jade green eyes smiling at her 'little brother'.

"It's a boy. Come on in." The man grinned and walked into the hospital room door. His eyes filled with tears at the sight before him.

A pale, fair-skinned woman with waist-length purple-black hair looked over at her husband, milky-violet eyes glazed with a mixture of exhaustion and happiness. A white bundle was in her arms, nursing quietly. The woman smiled softly and whispered her husbands' name.

"Naruto…"

….

After a few hours, Sasuke and Sakura went into the hospital room, Sakura resting her head on her husbands' shoulder. Said man nodded at the happy family. "Congratulations, dobe." Naruto looked up at his best friend, too drunk on happiness to take offense on the nickname.

"Thanks, teme!" Naruto felt a tug on is shoulder. He looked down at his wife, whose eyes were wide in excitement.

"Naruto! He's trying to open his eyes!" Naruto gestured for his brother and sister figure to come closer as they watched the baby squirm softly. What happened next shocked everyone present.

The baby didn't have milky-violet eyes as his mother or the cobalt blue as his father. Instead his eyes were…

…black.

Pure jet black eyes focused on his mother and father; the boy watched his stunned parents before slowly getting back to his nursing. Everyone in the room just watched the baby until Naruto decided to break the silence.

"Maybe it's a Byukaggon phase he's going through." Everyone nodded, but they all secretly doubted it. Naruto looked down at his wife and son, wrapping his arms gently around them.

_Don't worry. I'll protect you both with my life. I swear on the Kyuubis' grave that you won't go what I went through. _

...

12 years later…

A boy with whisker marks on his cheeks and spiky, violet-black hair looked at his breakfast quietly, a semi-tired look on his face. A tall, slender woman looked at her son in concern, but didn't say anything. After a few minutes of silence, the woman spoke up.

"Minato-chan? What's wrong, sweetheart?"The boy looked up at his mother, sighing quietly.

"I…I had a bad dream." His coal-black eyes looked at hers. The woman's' heart broke at the obvious fear in her sons' eyes staring back at her.

"Again?" The boy nodded.

"This time there was a little boy, a few years younger than me. He called me 'Nii-san'. I don't have a little brother, Kaa-chan. I have Kushina-chan, and she's my little sister. The boy looks a lot like Itachi."

A small sneeze was heard and the boy Minato just mentioned came through the open doorway, rubbing his nose. "Were you talking about me?"

Itachi Uchiha was the son of Sasuke and Sakura. He looked a lot like a mini Sasuke except for the green eyes and slightly darker skin tone. He was also Minatos' best friend.

Minato grinned, fear gone as if it was never there. "Hey 'Tachi!" The boys gave each other a high-five.

Itachi smiled, "Come on, we better get to the Academy. Don't forget to get your headband. We get our instructors today." Minato wrapped his headband loosly around his neck.

"Got it."

"Boys, don't forget your bentos." Minato grinned up at his mother, taking his bento gratefully.

"Thanks, Mama."

Itachi bowed politely, "Thank you Aunt Hinata."

Hinata smiled at the doorway of her home as the two boys raced each other to the Academy, talking and laughing the whole way.


	2. Chapter 2

"Today is the day you stop being children and start being ninjas of the Hidden Leaf. If you ever need anything, I'll always be around to assist you. Until then, train hard and proudly carry the Will of Fire within you. Pay attention while I call out the teams."

Iruka picked up the clipboard on his desk, a small smile on his face. This moment had been and will always be his favorite. Minato slumped onto his desk, a small smile on his face as he watched his crush, Kamiya Nara, Temari and Shikamaru's daughter. She was a really beautiful young girl; a figure like her mother but the coloring of her father. Her chestnut hair framed her face beautifully, hazelnut eyes sparkling in excitement from listening in anticipation for her team and instructor. Minato sighed dreamily and was it his imagination or were there bubbles and sparkles surrounding her petite frame?

"Squad Six: Minato Uzumaki (Minato jumped upright at his name), Itachi Uchiha, and Tsunade Hyuuga." Minato looked at his cousin, Tsunade curiously, wondering what her reaction to the new team. Tsunade was grimacing, her hands clenched together. Minato sighed, already knowing the cause for his cousins' bad mood: his best friend, Itachi. Minato turned toward said best friend, who was groaning in displeasure. He knew that part of Tsunade and Itachi's dislike for each other is partly because their fathers, Sasuke and Neji, still experience some tensions between them.

A couple years ago, on his birthday, Minato noticed Neji glaring at his uncle Sasuke in thinly veiled hostility. Feeling anxious and a bit of worry, Minato gripped onto Sasukes' hands and offered him a the thinnest slice of cake he could find (for some reason, he knew that his uncle didn't like sweet things), got on his lap, and hugged him. He watched his Uncle Neji closely; whenever he turned around to glare at Sasuke, Minato hugged his uncle tightly.

After the party, Minato and Itachi asked his father why Neji glared at Sasuke with hatred. Naruto's shocked look gradually turned into a solemn look and he turned toward Sasuke wordlessly, giving him a look that said 'we knew this would happen sooner or later.' Sasuke had sighed and nodded, looking nervous and depressed. His father had set them down real nicely and told what had happened: how Sasuke watched the clan get murdered because of the elders of the village taking advantage of his older brother, how he fell into insanity and declared death on Konoha, how the resurrected Itachi and Naruto saved him during the war and both of them defeated the resurrected Madara and the Akatsuki leader Tobi, later revealed to have been Obito.

Fortunately, Tsunade, the Hokage at that time, gave Obito a chance (Obito never asked for it-Kakashi asked continuously until Tsunade gave in) at becoming a Leaf shinobi again. Obito was prohibited from doing missions and was watched by Kakashi along with some Ambu (he was violent and tried to kill Kakashi several times). After a few years of being watched and therapy from Inoichi, Ino's father, Obito was fully pledged as a Leaf ninja again. He spent a lot of his time by Rin's grave and is now a genin instructor.

After hearing the whole story, Itachi became a bit scared of his father for a while; but one night, after seeing his father cry silently, hugging Sakura, he swallowed, ran into his fathers' arms, and hugged him. Unfortunately, Neji said some events to his daughter and now she had the same feelings of suspicion and hatred toward the Uchiha.

Coming back to the present, Minato sighed. Maybe he could convince Tsunade to stop hating Itachi, she would know he was a great guy.

"Your instructor would be Sasuke Uchiha." Wincing, he turned toward his cousin again. To his relief, she had relaxed her clenched fists and some of her frustration left her eyes. Luckily, Tsunade trusted and respected Sasuke, but that was as far as she felt for the adult Uchiha.

Itachi brightened up hearing that his father was also going to be his instructor and Minato grinned softly. His best friend and his uncle was a part of his team; this was the best day of his life.

….

"How about we go on the roof?" The three kids nodded and headed after their teacher. When they got to their destination, they all sat down on the cement and looked at their sensei expectantly.

"Well, can you tell me your likes, dislikes, and dreams?" Itachi raised his hand. Sasuke nodded at him.

"My name is Itachi Uchiha. I like Minato, onigiri, dango, and my family. I dislike tomatoes (Sasuke glared playfully at his son), very violent fights, and Tsunade." Said girl turned to the dark haired boy and glared hatefully. Itachi ignored her and continued, "My dream is to become a very talented medic nin like my mom." Sasuke smiled at his son then nodded to Tsunade. She narrowed her milky-lavender eyes and started talking.

"My name is Tsunade Hyuuga. I like using scrolls like my mom and using the Palm technique like my dad. I dislike Itachi, milky tea, and, _especially_, people that look down on others because they're _weak_." She narrowed her eyes a little more at her sensei and Minato knew that she was saying something only Sasuke seemed to know. He was right: Sasuke stiffened and his face turned expressionless. "My dream is to become as strong as my namesake so I could protect the Hidden Leaf Village."

Itachi glared at the girl as he hissed harshly. Minato glared at his cousin; she better not do this every time they meet. Sasuke slowly let out a strained smile and answered, "That's very noble of you." Tsunade nodded curtly, her expression not changing. Sasuke turned toward Minato.

"My name is Minato Uzumaki. I like ramen, Itachi, and going to Ichiraku Ramen with my dad. I dislike tomatoes, and people who can't seem to let go of the past." Tsunade looked at her cousin with a scowl, Minato glared back at her. "My dream is to become a Hokage just like my dad and guide the Leaf Village to peace like my dad."

Sasuke nodded, smiling in a more realistic manner. _Heh…it's like the Usuratonkachi all over again…_

…

Naruto whimpered on his desk, surrounded by piles and piles of paperwork. _I know I said I wanted to become Hokage…but this is ridiculous. _He bribed Konohamaru to do it ("After all, you wanted to become Hokage, right?") but the boy just smirked, patted him on the shoulder, and slowly walked away. _So…much…work…_

"Dad!" Naruto immediately brightened and caught the hyperactive boy as he barreled into the room.

"Hey, son. I heard you had to go into teams today. Who's in it?" Minato grinned a fox-like grin, not unlike him when he was his age.

"Itachi and Tsunade. Uncle Sasuke is my sensei." Naruto smiled, "I thought you might like that. I'm so proud of you." Minato beamed. Naruto ruffled his sons' hair and stood up, "I think this is a cause for a little trip to Ichiraku Ramen, don't you think?" Minato's stomach rumbled.

"YES! I agree with that, dad."

…..

_Minato blinked and looked around the room in confusion. "Where am I?" Two adults, a man and a woman, were sitting down and tied up in front of him. He felt his eyes fill with tears as he slowly took out his katana._

"_So…you took their side, huh?" The man spoke very calmly for someone who was about to be slaughtered. Minato looked down at himself silently, then looked at the back of the two adults._

"_Father…Mother…I…" The woman answered this time, her voice filled with love and understanding._

"_We know, Itachi." Minato whimpered and shook silently in anguish._

_The man spoke again, "You're very brave, Itachi. Our pain will be gone in an instant, yours will last for most of your life. I know I don't say this enough, but I'm proud of you. You truly are a gentle child."_

_Minato shook and whimpered, tears falling out of his eyes, anguish and agony splitting his soul in half. _

I love you guys. B-bye… _He raised his katana up, willing his tears to stop, trying to turn back into a shinobi instead of the child about to murder his parents._

"_Mother? Father?!" _No…please, no…

…

Minato screamed shortly, tears falling down his face in rivers. He trembled and moaned, wrapping his arms around his body. He laid down on the fetal position and cried silently.

_That wasn't me! That wasn't me!_

But it felt like it had been. Anguish that he never felt before pierced his soul when he recalled that dream. The woman who he called mother loved him even as he killed her. His father was proud of him, even as the life left his eyes.

_They weren't my parents! They __**weren't**__!_

Minato slowly, silently, fell back to sleep.

…

Sasuke gestured for his students to follow him. "Okay everybody, we're going to try to control our chakra today. You all remember the basics for that, correct?" All of them nodded. "Then get started; we'll do some chakra exercises later."

"U-um, Uncle Sasuke?" Sasuke turned toward the violet-haired boy.

"Yes?"

"What forest is this?" Itachi spoke up, looking at his friend in concern, "This is the forest near the Uchiha Compound. We played hide and seek together here not a year ago. What's wrong Minato, you seem out of it…"

Minato turned a shaky smile on Itachi, "I-it's nothing. Just thought I saw something flash for a second. Gomenasai…" _What's wrong with me today?_

…

"_Run…Run away and cling to life…and when your hatred is strong enough…once you seek eyes like mine…you will find me again…"_

I'm sorry! I didn't mean it! I love you, I'm sorry!

_Minato glared at the crying boy in front of him when in reality, he wanted to run to him, hold him, and never let go. He wanted to wipe the tears and hug all the boys' sorrow and pain away. He wanted, oh he wanted, to tell the boy in front of him the truth. _

_Using his Sharingan, the boy he loved so much fell to the ground, unconscious. A tear fell down his cheek as he slowly walked away, leaving the boy he would die for alone._

….

Minato blinked his eyes open and wiped his eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

Minato ran through the house, snatching a breakfast bar on the way out.

_Crap! Crap! CRAP! Thanks to these nightmares, I can't get up in time! Uncle is going to kill me!_

"Honey! You forgot your bento!" Minato yelled back, "I'll get ramen on break time!"

….

"YOU'RE LATE!" Minato winced at the yelling; this was _way _too early for yelling.

"Tsunade can't you ever shut up?!" Said brunette turned to glare at the mini-Uchiha.

"Aw, you shut up, Itachi!" The boy rolled his eyes at the immature comeback then turned to Minato.

" 'Nato, are you okay? You look tired." Minato yawned quietly and smiled at his friend, grateful for the concern.

"It's my nightmares again. But don't worry, they'll get better." Itachi nodded and let loose a small yawn.

"I wonder where Dad is?" Minato shrugged, his eyes still glazed with sleep. Tsunade took out a kunai and began polishing it in an agitated manner.

"Hello, guys." The three kids turned around wildly, Tsunade barely stopping herself from tossing her kunai. Sasuke smirked at them, "Sorry, I'm late. It's just that Sakura and I had to have a little-"

"DAD!"  
"SENSEI!"  
"UNCLE!"

Sasuke smirked some more at the children who were plugging their ears and faces becoming pale. _Ahh… mental scarring, how I love thee._

"Let's get going."

…..

"Come on, Minato! I thought you were going to keep up?!" Itachi smirked from the highest branch of the tree. Panting, Minato smirked tiredly back at him.

"Ah…just let me catch my breath for a few minutes. I'll get you in a minute." Sasuke walked over to the boy.

"You're doing great, Minato. You did better than the dobe when he did this." Minato smiled.

"Thanks, Uncle." Minato let his smile down as a puzzled look came over his face. "Uncle? Why do you call Dad 'dobe'?"

Sasuke smirked, "It was our nicknames for each other." Minato grinned back-hearing about Sasuke being such good friends with his father made him so happy.

….

Minato…

Minato…

_Minato woke up, gasping in confusion. He looked around wildly; all he could see was darkness. _Who's calling me?

"_Minato…" _The boy turned to a tall man with black hair pulled in a low ponytail and two lines were on his face. Black eyes that eerily matched his own gazed at him and the man let out a small smile.

"Uncle Sasuke?" The man let out a kind chuckle.

"Not quite, kid. I'm his older brother, Itachi." Minato's eyes opened wide in realization.

"You're the man that was named for my best friend." The man nodded, his ponytail bobbing up and down lightly. Minato looked deeper into the mans' eyes. They were filled with pain and longing. Minato cleared his throat and gazed at the man in a questioning manner. "Why are you so familiar to me?"

The man kept his little half-smile on his face as he answered, "Minato-kun, do you believe in second chances?" Minato nodded, unhesitant. Itachi continued, "I'm about to show you something that may shock you: look over in this mirror, Minato-kun."

_When did that get there? _Minato walked over to the mirror, gazing at it uncertainly. What he saw made his heart stop and his blood freeze.

Instead of a violet-haired, whiskered face gazing back at him, there was a boy with shoulder-length black hair, black eyes, two lines that were just being noticeable on either side of his nose, a blue, open-collar shirt and gray pants. Minato placed one hand on the mirror and the other boy did the same.

_What is this?! _The question must have been on his face because Itachi continued, "That is me when I was twelve. Minato, _you _are my second chance."

…

When Minato woke up, there was no uncertainty or fear. There was only shock: his nightmares were his memories from his first life-all of it actually happened. Which means…his Uncle Sasuke…is really his-

He can't wrap his mind around it; he was Itachi's reincarnation, but he was also Minato Uzumaki. He groaned and held his face in his hands.

_What am I going to do now?_


	4. Chapter 4

Minato didn't know what to do. His old memories were gradually coming back; they came back even faster when he saw Sasuke at the meeting place. What was he going to do? He bit his lip as he watched Sasuke coming.

"_Be gone with the thunderclap…" An emotionless voice that seemed to carry so much hate…hate that was all directed at him._

_He couldn't help but smile inwardly at how strong his little brother became, even if he had to go to the cowardly snake for power. Speaking of the snake, the Curse Mark was showing up even more vividly. He had to get Orochimaru out-it was the only way…_

"Minato-kun!" Minato started awake as he heard his sensei call him. _Great…he's going to think I'm mentally retarded… _

Sasuke frowned, "Minato, do you have something to tell me? You've been acting strange the last few days…" Minato smiled, but it came out more like a grimace.

"I'm fine-I forgot my breakfast again. It's no big deal." Itachi wordlessly held out a piece of onigiri towards him, which he graciously accepted. Tsunade held out a few bills towards him for ramen when they got back. Sasuke watched the kids helping out their teammate with proud eyes. Waiting for them to land their attention on him once again, he continued.

"The Hokage asked us to meet him for a mission. I suggest you pack some supplies for this." All of his students nodded, a solemn look in his eyes. Minato waited until he was sure their sensei was out of hearing range, then turned toward his teammates.

"What do you think the mission is going to be about?" Itachi had diamonds shining in his green eyes. "Maybe it'll be an escort mission, like back when Dad and Hokage-sama were genin like us." Minato shrugged, but his black eyes were filled with excitement at the idea.

"That would be pretty sweet." Both boys turned toward the groan that their third member of their squad emitted.

"You do realize that any one of these missions could lead us to our deaths? The life of a shinobi is not just fun and games. Don't you Uchiha have any sense?" Itachi glowered at her.

"Yeah, yeah…you're the _genius _around here, Tsunade." Said girl turned to glare at him, but she became startled at the hateful glare aimed right back at her. She opened her mouth, but Itachi beat her to it.

"You know what? I've had enough of your high and mighty attitude. You and your father think you're so cool-glaring at us as if we're trash. But the only trash I know of are you and your father. It's true that my father betrayed Konoha all those years ago, but that was when it happened-_years ago_. And Hyuuga is immature if he won't let it go. If you keep this up, I'll ask Uncle Naruto to get you off our team-we don't need people like you." With that, Itachi glared at her one last time and stormed off.

Tsunade watched him go, speechless. Minato watched after his friend in concern, then aimed a glare of his own at his cousin.

"Not to start a fight, Tsunade, but he's right. Please just get ready for our mission and if you have anything to say against Itachi and Uncle Sasuke, then I suggest you keep it to yourself. I'll see you in Dads' office." With that, he followed Itachi, leaving Tsunade all alone.

…..

Minato found his friend on the top of the Hokage Mountain. Itachi just looked upwards, staring into space. Minato sat down beside him, not speaking. He knew that Itachi just needed someone there-no words needed to be said.

Itachi spoke first, "I held in what I felt for her for weeks, but when she gave another jab at my family, I couldn't help it." Minato nodded.

"I know-you did the right thing. Someone needed to get the stick out of her butt." Itachi smiled at him, making Minato laugh. "Well, we better get some weapons-even though this is our first mission, you never know what could happen." Itachi nodded and both boys went to the nearby weapon shop.

…..

"Welcome, Team Six-I've been expecting you. Come in." Sasuke walked toward his best friend, students following silently. He gave a half-bow.

"Hokage-sama." Naruto nodded back, "Sasuke, are your students ready for this type of mission?" Sasuke nodded without hesitation. Minato raised a hand, "What is the mission, Dad?"

Naruto smiled at his son, "The Konoha Hospital is running out of herbs. I need you to go into the mountains and bring enough to resupply. Sasuke…" The Hokage looked up at his childhood friend. "Do you feel that your students are ready for this type of assignment?"

The Ambu captain nodded without hesitation. Naruto nodded back, "Very good. Good luck Team Six."

….

Hinata waited at the front gates for her sons' team. She heard that Minato got his first assignment out of the village and she wanted to wish him luck as well as take her family's ointment in case of risks. And boy, she knew a lot about that. When her 'older brother' ,Neji, was killed and brought back to life by the Juubi in the Fourth Great Ninja War, well, she didn't dare take any chances.

Heavy footsteps interrupted her broody thoughts and she looked over and saw her other 'older brother' figure, Kiba. He was running as if the wolves of Kabuto were on his heels and he looked murderous. Hinata quickly held out an arm towards him and hugged him, preventing him from moving.

"Kiba-nisan, what's wrong?" The Inuzuka grumbled and eased out of her grip.

"That Hinata is how one reacts when one sees his older sister kissing the former mastermind of the Akatsuki." Hinata widened her eyes and placed a hand over her mouth, blushing furiously.

"Your sister and Obito-kun were...?" Kiba nodded in a viscous manner, his fangs glistening.

"And what's worse: my mother was happy for them! I mean, I thought she hated the Akatsuki as much as we did, and the first thing she does after neesan admits that she and the Uchiha were dating, my mother smiles and hugs her! HUGS HER!" The exclamation ends with a snarl and Hinata rests her hand on Kibas' shoulder in a comforting manner.

"Maybe the idea of being a grandmother again is a part of the problem…" Kibas' eyes immediately glared on her.

"Hinata, I do love you, but you know you made this ten times worse, right?" Hinata blushed again, "S-sorry, Kiba-kun."

"KIBA!" Both adults turned to see a snarling woman with a low, brown ponytail and two purple marks on her cheeks glowering at Kiba. There was no doubt that she would've pounced on him if Obito, who came with her, hadn't turned her around and kissed her sweetly. Kiba made a gagging noise as he noticed his sister calming down into the kiss.

The woman smiled at her boyfriend in gratitude before turning back to her little brother. "Kiba, Obito-kun and I are in a relationship now and I know that you don't trust him because of his past deeds, but I do. He is a good man and I would appreciate it if you remember that instead of what he has done." Kiba glared at Obito, who nodded in understanding, then turned toward his elder sister, eyes softening.

"I'll try harder Zuki-chan, but I'm just worried. Frankly, I'm surprised that they let him live with all the things he's done-what if he does it again?"

"I _won't_."

Both Inuzukas' looked in surprise at the bold statement, but Obito paid no attention to that-he continued to look at Kiba intensely, whose own eyes widened at the depth of sincerity on the black orbs.

"I look in the mirror every day and wonder: what happened to me? When did it go so wrong? Why did I attack Konoha, causing Hokage-sama to lose his family at birth? Whenever I remember what I did to Sensei and everyone all those years ago, I wanted to kill myself. I wanted Kakashi to stab a chidori through my chest. I wanted to pay for what I done. Then your sister came along."

Kiba saw Obito give a loving glance at Zuki, who blushed and communicated the same feelings with her eyes.

"She gave me a reason for living. She saw the person I could be and it made me feel…alive; more alive than I've ever been-even when Rin was alive." Everyone noticed the slight catch in his voice when he mentioned that name, but he kept on going. "I'd be lost if it wasn't for her and after I got to know her, I fell in love. I would do anything for her and that includes fighting the darkness that, regretfully, still lives inside of me. But…I won't stop fighting it because I now have something to fight for." Obito turned back to Zuki who watched him with love-filled eyes. Kiba looked between his older sister and Obito for a few more minutes before sighing.

"You two really love each other, huh?" Obito and Zuki nodded. Kiba nodded back, "Well, I can see that, so I guess I approve of it."

….

"Mama?" Hinata turned around, smiling at her son and his team. She nodded to Sasuke who nodded back in return.

"Minato, can you come here for a minute?" Her son walked up to her, eyes filled with curiosity. Hinata took out a smooth, wooden tube from her bag and handed it to her son. "This is an ointment that is made by our family only. I want you to keep it with you at all times. It's bound to heal any minor injuries."

Minato looked at the tube for a few seconds then placed in carefully in his pouch. He looked up at his mother and smiled gently, "Thanks Mama."

"Minato, come on." Giving his mother a farewell nod, Minato adjusted his pouch and ran over to where his team was. Hinata watched with a heavy heart as her child walked off into the unknown.

"Mama, where Ato gone?" Hinata jumped in surprise and looked down at her second child. Kushina looked up at her mother, milky blue eyes unsure. Hinata smiled comfortingly and stroked the childs' red locks.

"Minato went on a mission that was made from Daddy. He needs missions like this so he could become a ninja. How was your day at the Academy?" Kushina beamed at her mother.

"It was great! Ino-sensei taught us how to arrange flowers and make flower chains and wreaths!" Hinata smiled at her daughters' excitement, remembering how excited she felt about flower arranging. Kushina continued, face taking a confused expression, "But even though I know that a female ninja has to 'have grace' and that's done only by what we're doing, I can't help but wonder if Ino-sensei will teach us the 'rougher' part of the ninja."

Hinata smiled at Kushina, inwardly admiring how smart she was at such a young age. "That'll happen only after you become a genin dear. Now how about we get some dango for dessert tonight?"

…..

Minato looked everywhere in excitement, going 'oohh.!', and 'aahh.!', every chance he got. He had never gone out of the village without either of his parents before and it filled him with excitement and eagerness.

He grinned back at his team before his smile went down and he looked at his teammates in concern. Tsunade was, for once, not glaring at her Uchiha teammate and sensei; instead she was quietly subdued whenever he saw her looking at him, he glared at her in hatred, then walked slightly ahead of her. Minato walked back over to Itachi and decided to say one thing:

"Up for a race, Itachi?"

….

Sasuke sighed as he watched his son and nephew crouching side by side on the line Minato made in the dust. Tsunade stood beside him, polishing her kunai. "I'm not sure you should do this, guys. You never know what could be out there."

Minato sighed and smiled, placing an arm around his friend, "Don't worry, Uncle. I'll protect him if anything happens." Itachi growled and got out of the one-arm hug, "You mean, _I'll _protect _you_." Minato smirked, amused.

"We'll see Itachi…we'll see…"

Itachi smirked and got down into position, Minato following suite. Sasuke sighed and shook his head, onyx eyes holding a pinch of worry. "This isn't going to end well." Minato smirked at him.

"On your mark…get set…GO!" With Minatos' declaration, both boys ran down the path.

…

"Heh…when you got it, you got it." Itachi grumbled at his smirking friend, irritation in his face.

"Your father is called the Orange Flash. Of course you were going to beat me." Minato smiled at him good-naturedly.

"Well, you beat me at tree climbing all those weeks ago, I'm just returning the favor." That slightly lifted Itachis' spirits, but he still felt he should've won. Minato looked around, "So…what herbs were we supposed to get?" Itachi dropped his head down in exasperation.

"Dad has the list, Minato, remember?" Minato dropped his jaw.

"You mean, we have to wait for Uncle to get here?" Itachi just gave him a _what do you think(?) _look and Minato slapped his forehead for his own dumbness.

"Oh, great, ninjas." Itachi and Minato immediately became alert, drawing out kunais.

"Oh, don't worry, Souka…they're just little brats-not even worth our time." Minato and Itachi watched everywhere, the focus never leaving their eyes.

Itachi swallowed and, without a stutter, yelled, "Who's there?! Show yourself!"

A few waves of maliciousness and killing intent filled the air and both boys began to sweat as a chilling laugh filled the air. "Well, if you insist…"

Two men popped out of nowhere as Itachi and Minato got closer together. The taller man grinned evilly at the kids and held out a huge sword at them.

"How about a game?"


	5. Chapter 5

Minato and Itachi growled as the two men walked forward, smirking evilly and holding out their swords threateningly. Minato turned to his best friend, giving him a look that said, _'Are you ready for this?'_ Itachi nodded slightly at the question and turned back to the two men.

"Game begin!" With that, the two men ran forward. Minato and Itachi jumped away from each other, swinging their kunais. Minato grunted by the impact and looked at the man in the eyes.

"We don't want to fight you! The Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village gave us this mission to gather herbs!" The mans' expression didn't change.

"The Hokage said that, eh? The Hokage is none other than that Uzumaki kid, isn't he?! Well, I've got a bone to pick with him. After I kill you, your Hokage is next!" Okay, the too-far line was crossed. Nobody, I mean _nobody_, threatened Minato Uzumakis' family and gets away with it. With that in mind, the boy jumped away, fury in his eyes. He did some hand signs and two blue, lion faces made of chakra appeared on his hands.

"_Lion fist jutsu!" _With an enraged yell, Minato ran back to the man.

…..

Itachi punched the ground in front of the man, making a huge dent in the dusty ground. Soukas' eyes widened briefly, but he managed to jump away. He smirked at the boy-his smirk grew even wider when he recognized him.

"Ah, yes…an Uchiha then. The son of the last Uchiha, Sasuke, was it?" Itachi looked up in surprise, "Y-you know my father?"

"Yes…I saw him in my village when he was looking for his brother…Itachi was it…to kill him. A rather ruthless man if you ask me. You must be so proud of him-so proud to be a part of that legacy." Itachi looked down a little, still on alert.

"He killed a thousand shinobi." Itachi looked up in shock-his father and uncle never mentioned that. "Oh yes, a lot of men died that day-fathers, sons, uncles-imagine how their family felt." Itachi felt himself feeling lower and lower-how could his father do such a thing?

"He has shown no remorse in what he's done. What makes you say it won't happen again?" Itachi looked down at the ground, trembling in denial and fear.

"H-he wouldn't…Dad w-would never try to…" The fear from years ago at the mere glimpse of his father came back at full force.

_Minato!_

Minato kicked away his enemy, knocking him into a tree and gasped when he heard something.

_**Other Uncle? Itachi?**_

_Yes Minato, it's me. My nephew appears to be in trouble. Let me take over._

_**Y-you can do that?**_

_Yes…you just relax for a bit and I'll take care of these guys for you._

_**Okay, Itachi. Thank you.**_

Back in the real world, Itachi was looking fearful and stunned, failing to notice his opponent raising his sword, about to chop the unsuspecting genin in half. A hand moved with lightning speed and gripped the blade, preventing it from going any further. Itachi snapped his head upwards, eyes widening at the blade a mere inches from his head.

"I wouldn't try that again if I were you." Itachi smiled at his friend feeling a tiny bit of shame at letting the enemy get to him.

"Mina-!" Itachis' smile dropped off his face as he saw his friend. The hand that was holding the blade was bleeding, but Minato didn't make a wince or a grunt of pain-in fact, he didn't make a sound. His black eyes that were usually bright and expressive were now empty, even cold. There was no expression on his face and he looked like he only had eyes for the enemy.

The man turned his gaze to the boy and gulped. _This kids' aura…it's completely different from before! More calculating…and dark. _Minato, without changing his vast expression, closed his dark eyes, and, as if in slow motion, opened his eyes.

The man gasped as a three-tomoe Sharingan stared back at him from the boy. Minato pushed the blade and side-kicked the man…very hard. Itachi gasped at the display, turning back toward his friend.

_W-when could Minato do that? _Minato blinked again and this time, a Mangekyo Sharingan was in his eyes. He walked slowly toward the man, his expression still blank and the out-of-character look was still in his eyes. The man looked up, fear becoming present in his eyes.

"Mangekyo Sharingan!" Itachi watched with awe as the man froze, staring right at Minatos' eyes. The man became as blank as Minatos' eyes were.

"Five seconds here is five days there. You will be stabbed continuously, without end, until the time is up. I control that reality. Farewell."

Itachi gasped at the display as the man passed out five seconds later. The other man was long gone by now, so it looked like the nightmare was over. He gasped, looking up at his friend that just appeared in front of him.

"Are you alright?" Itachi flinched-the boy in front of him now didn't even talk like his best friend.

"W-who are you? What did you do with Minato?" The Minato look-alike let out a slight smile at the boys' concern.

"He's fine. I'm going back into his mind now. Be prepared to catch him." _Huh? _Itachi couldn't ponder on that statement anymore because Minato had closed his eyes and began to fall forward. Acting on instinct, Itachi held out his arms, catching the boy and placed him beside a tree, watching him with narrowed, green eyes.

"Itachi!" He raised his head at his fathers' voice and waved his arm.

"Dad, I'm over here!" Not a second later, the Ambu captain burst through the woods, Tsunade clutched in one arm. The onyx eyes widened as he saw the unconscious man against the tree and blood stains were on the ground.

"What happened?" Itachi shook slightly at the images of what happened, but managed to tell his father what happened. He left out the parts of Minatos' strange behavior and the Sharingan he had witnessed. His father interrupted his musings on his teammate.

"Where's Minato?" Itachi pointed at the tree where Minato was resting. "He's not hurt; he just fought too hard and fell asleep." Sasuke snorted, smirking at his nephew in amusement.

_Like father, like son…_

Itachi never noticed his father narrowing his eyes at the boy in suspicion.

….

_Minato blinked awake and the first thing he saw was Itachis' face-the original Itachi. He gasped and groaned at the queasiness of the movement._

"Are you alright, Minato-kun?" The purple-haired boy nodded at his incarnation and pressed a hand to his forehead, trying to squeeze out his headache. "I should have warned you…the shock of being back in control of your body can leave you disoriented. It happened to me when I, and my brother, stopped the Edo Tensei near the end of the Fourth Great Shinobi War."

Minato quirked an eyebrow, "'Edo Tensei'?" Itachi grimaced at the memory before he continued.

"The Edo Tensei is the technique that could bring the dead back to life but you're not in control of your own body anymore. The person that releases the jutsu is the one that's in control of you. It's terrible."

Minato nodded-it sounded terrible.

"I managed to evade being control thanks to your father, Naruto-san. I gave him some power to use if Sasuke-otouto decided to attack him with a certain technique. Thankfully, Sasuke didn't, but I had to use most of my power to gain back control of my body.

While Itachi talked about the experience, all of the memories began to appear in Minatos' mind. All of the fear, worry, and despair of not being in control of his own body, the gratefulness for Naruto trying to help his brother and save Konoha, and his love for his little brother when they met again for the first time after his death.

"You have to wake up now-my otouto is getting suspicious." Minato blinked again as he saw black at the edge of his vision.

…..

"Minato!" Said boy groaned again and fluttered his black eyes up at his sensei.

_I've got to stop doing that…_

"What happened, Minato? Did they hurt you anywhere?" While Sasuke was concern, there was a hint of a suspicious nature in his voice. Minato gulped.

"Oh, I just used a lot more chakra than I had to. It's no big deal." Sasukes' suspicion was still present in his eyes, but he let it go.

"Well, nice job on defeating these enemies." Minato blinked at his uncles' words and he paled as he saw the motionless man.

_Itachi, you didn't…_

_Don't worry-I'm a peace lover and avoid killing whenever possible__. Otouto knows about that all too well. _ Minato blinked at the sad voice coming from the older man.

_What are you thinking about?_

_I'll tell you later._

"Come on, guys; let's gather the herbs and get back to report to the Hokage." There was a strange silence after that statement and Minato felt Itachis' confused stare. He looked toward his best friend and mouthed _I'll tell you later. _Itachi nodded, then looked down to gather the herbs in his basket.

…

"Okay, Minato, you've got ten seconds to tell me what the heck happened in the forest. You were acting…not you. It was scary." Itachi looked at his friend in accusation in Minatos' room. Minato locked his door and looked toward his friend, black eyes desperate.

"Will you promise me that you won't think I'm crazy?" Itachis' eyes softened in concern-he never heard this coming from his friend. But he knew he wasn't crazy, and he told him so. Minato swallowed, gratefully and whispered, "I…Itachi Uchiha, your deceased uncle, came to me one night and told me that I was his second chance-meaning I'm his reincarnation. I thought I was going crazy, but he talked to me again in the woods when we were fighting those creeps. He wanted to help us so he took over the front of my mind while I fell asleep; that's why I was acting so different, based on what you told me. I woke up and now we're talking about it." Minato saw Itachis' disbelieving face and he sighed. He should've known better than to talk to someone else about all this.

"I believe you." _Wait, what? _Minato swung his head to look at his best friend.

"…Huh?"

"I believe you. I mean, there was a reason, back in the forest, why you looked so…different. You possessed skills that were way beyond our level; skills that I _know _you don't have. And I felt your chakra-it changed dramatically. It went from warm and sunny to chilly and dark." Itachi smiled at Minatos' shocked face. "Do you think I should call you Uncle Minato now?"

Minato glomped his best friend, laughing loudly. "Thank you for believing me. It really means a lot." Itachis' smile faded to a soft frown, dread in his gaze.

"Should we tell anybody? Dad or Uncle Naruto?" Minato immediately shook his head, the action resolute as well as the expression.

"No, we better keep this to ourselves. I don't want to stress out Uncle Sasuke more than he already is." _That's not the reason why-you're scared. _Minato ignored his conscience.

…..

Sasuke watched his wife that evening, lust in his eyes. The pink-haired woman blushed beautifully as she prepared onigiri and smoked salmon on white rice (with a side order of tomato salad for her and her husband). Sasukes' gaze traveled from her beautiful face to her stomach-and his eyes softened. Just recently, Sakura told the wonderful news that he was going to be a father again. He smiled as he imagined his sons' face about being an older sibling. He had wanted to be one ever since he was five. The only sibling that he had considered at the moment was his friend, Minato.

Sasukes' eyes narrowed as he thought of the boy. Minato had been acting strange for the last few days. He noticed the looks and actions that he recently exhibited. He frowned as he recalled Minato flinching whenever he got a few feet from him one minute, then looking at him longingly with a bit of pride the next. It was almost like the look Ita-

He forced his mind to become blank after that name was mentioned. It was easy when he called his son that because his son was the polar opposite of that man in traits. But remembering his brother, the one that went to such heights for him, would always be painful. He would never forgive himself for murdering the man that had only the one crime of loving him too much. He regretted planning to destroy the village his brother died for and he _certainly_ regretted trying to kill his 'little brother' Naruto, but they were pretty easy acts to forgive.

"Sasuke-kun, are you okay?" Sasuke looked at Sakura, worry in her jade eyes. He let out a small smile as he approached her and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"I'm fine, Sakura-hime. I'm just thinking about the past." Sakura turned around and gently cupped her husbands' chin and kissed him deeply. She gave him a mock look of anger as she gently rubbed his cheek.

"Don't think about those times anymore, my love. It hurts me when you think about them. They hurt you so much-it's too painful." Sasuke sighed and hugged her, wishing that it was that simple. Sakura stroked his black hair gently as they enjoyed their intimate moment.

"Mom! Dad!" They looked up as their son, Kushina, and Minato entered the house; both Uzumakis' had bags with them. Itachi continued, "Uncle Naruto and Aunt Hinata are going to the Village of the Sand to speak to the Kazekage for a week. They told me to ask you if they could stay over." Sakura smiled and held out her arms to Kushina. The little girl ran into her aunts' arms. Sakura smiled at her son.

"Of course we'll gladly take care of them." Minato bowed respectfully to the Uchihas'.

"Thank you for allowing us to stay, Aunt Sakura, Uncle Sasuke." Sakura let out a scowl and gently rubbed her fist into the crown of Minatos' head.

"What happened to just calling us Aunt and Uncle in a not-formal manner?!" Minato 'meeped' and hid behind Itachi. Everybody laughed (Sasuke let out a chuckle).

…..

"So Minato-kun, how do you feel of Sasuke as your teacher?" Minato looked down at his plate for a minute and murmured gently.

"It's been…interesting, helpful, and amazing. I wouldn't want anyone else." Sasuke smiled at his nephew when he heard the praise.

"Oooo…" Kushinas' awed voice interrupted the moment. The red-haired girl turned to Sasuke. "Uncle Sasuke, when I become Genin, can you be my teacher?" Sasuke chuckled, grimacing a little. His wife smiled and stroked the red locks.

"That all depends on your father, honey. Now who wants some sweet dumplings?"


End file.
